Greeting Card Sales Will Benefit Booth Library

Two colorful and fanciful greeting cards by Sedona artist Alexandra Lifson are now on sale at C.H. Booth Library.  These handsome 8½ by 5½ original art cards of a cat surrounded by goldfish visions and a dragon that appears to be – on the surface – simply an island in the middle of nowhere, cost $2.50 apiece and are available at the main circulation and children’s department desks.  Sale of the cards benefit the library.

“Underneath” is a reproduction of an original oil painting inspired by the artist’s love of dragons and the potential of the unseen. The island is reminiscent of those found in the Swedish archipelago.

“Kitty Dreams” is from a cobalt blue and vibrant yellow acrylic painting the artist rendered for a Human Society silent auction.

“I think any cat lover can relate to it,” says the artist. “People who have cats often tell stories of their cats chasing phantoms or staring out at something no one else seems to see.

“I enjoy combining the ‘serious’ or real with the unexpected and humorous,” she continued. “The ‘real’ allows the viewer to relate and the humor or unexpected takes them beyond those limitations,” says Ms. Lifson. “Inspiration is an invitation to adventure. A conversation with a friend might evoke an image, or a lyric to a song could strike an emotion that I perceive as color or tone that longs to be translated into paint and form.”

Ms Lifson was born and raised in the Midwest where she says the forests and lakes were her playground.

“Nature has always been an inspiration in my artwork, especially animals. I am very interested in Animal Medicine symbolism and a quick peek at National Geographic always gets my imagination going,” she says. “I used to paint more realistically, but have found that fantasy allows for broader expression as well as interpretation.”

Ms Lifson received her BFA from Indiana University, where her favorite teacher taught her to work with an earth-tone oil palette. But after a visit to her aunt, who was a fine artists, Ms Lifson realized that palette didn’t really reflect her energy and personality and changed to more vibrant colors. 

The artist enjoyed painting with acrylics because they dry so fast, especially in her home studio in the desert of Arizona, but is back to working in oils, her first love. “The texture is buttery and the colors seem to have more depth than acrylics. For the look I want it is helpful to let them dry in between painting session, so I often have two or more going at the same time and can paint every day.”

Ms Lifson has exhibited her work around the country including at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, Hopkins Center for the Arts in Minneapolis where she won awards for her work, and at various galleries in Sedona, Ariz. She has translated her original artwork into fine art cards.  Her work comes to Newtown through her cousin, Andrea Zimmermann, a reference librarian at the library.